So, what got you started ?

[cabbo]

Surprising how similar we all started my Nana used to take me fishing in brid harbour started with a hand line loved it crabbing getting them right out of the water and most of the buggers used to let go off the mussels mind you did used to get the greedy ones.
Then move on to my first rod bought at Woolworths in brid a green whinfield 2 section rod about 6 foot ,felt like the bees knee's with my new rod proud as punch me and my sister used take it in turns catching loads of small fish in the harbour,
Stormchaser we must have crossed paths in brid all them yrs ago I too was stopping in a guest house in brid when Elvis died, The Langton down Pembroke terrace/St and my dad took me out on the rowing boats catching small dabs still remember it like yesterday.
Then my dad took me to skip bridge on the York stretch on the bend just down stream of the railway bridge this was my very first time on a river and once again was sharing a rod but this time with my dad ,running a stickfloat down my old bloke was getting roach and the odd small grayling every time I got the rod it was a gudgeon gudgeon and more gudgeon but from that lovely summer night after school have never looked back and to this day still class the Nidd as my favourite river over the yrs have had some cracking fish from this small river and even now you still don't know what you will catch next from it.
Cabbo

[gcb]

Love it cabbo !!

[ronnie]

8 years old and fishing the cut in Tottenham with a tank aerial with 6 feet of line tied to the end struggled with weight of it till it bent in the middle and I snapped it off shorter. Used to get sent out by my aunt all day and told not to come back until teatime, great stuff when you're a kid. Jam sandwiches a pop bottle of water, 6d for gentles between two of us and the hope of catching a few bleak or gudgeon or wonder of wonders a small roach. Went on to a whole cane 3 piece rod with a green fibre glass top section and an intrepid Black Prince reel and travelled further afield on our bikes to Dobbs weir on the Lee, used to sleep out all night with no thought of anything happening to us. I remember seeing "proper" anglers with those green canvas Efgeeco seat boxes and trying to make one out of an ex-army pack and some hardboard, the obvious happened and it collapsed sending me in to the canal.

[cabbo]

Happy days Ronnie

[Sprat]

My tale is not as exciting or romantic as all yours; My Dad used to drive, my Grandad was in charge, I was the Twonk...

The first I remember was camping/fishing at Bubwith, in those days every eel went in the pan for tea, especially Bootlaces (there were plenty then).

I moved on to match fishing, with my Dad, with Fryston Fishing (it my have been Wheldale) Club, fishing all the main Yorkshire rivers and a he*l of a lot of the Trent.

The one thing I do remember is fishing a Match on the River Nidd, on the Old Alice Hawthorne Stretch (all your gear taken by Tractor Trailer) Middle of

winter, or so it seemed. I'd got an old cane rod with a solid glass end section as thick as my thumb... River was in flood, rod end kicking like a donkey, so

buried it in the water and felt for a bite with finger on line. End of story, got a 4lb 5oz Chub, they let me weigh it in ,but, because I was only Thirteen I

was somehow ineligible for the Match. My Dad discussed this strongly with the Committee at the time, as he had entered me into the "Pools" as well.; This

"Discussion" carried on into the Alice Hawthorne Pub, and into the carpark. End result I won the Match and "Pools" , never Knew how much but I got a new Leeda

Blue Diamond Match Rod out of it....Still got it to this day....